Microsoft reportedly replacing Internet Explorer with new Windows 10 browser

Microsoft’s Internet Explorer is no longer the world’s leading web browser, but nearly two decades after its Windows 95 debut, it remains widely in use. However, that could change with Windows 10.

According to a report from ZDNet, sources claim that Microsoft is working on a brand new web browser for inclusion in next year’s big operating system release. It’s codenamed “Spartan,” and contrary to some previous rumours, it won’t just be the next version of Internet Explorer with a new name and look.

Instead, ZDNet says it will be totally distinct and a much more lightweight option than Internet Explorer, using Microsoft’s Chakra JavaScript engine and Trident rendering engine – and it’ll add extension support to be more akin to Chrome and Firefox in use. And since Windows 10 is slated to be more of a cross-platform OS when it launches later in 2015, Spartan should be on PCs, tablets, and smartphones alike.

However, this doesn’t mean that Internet Explorer will simply be abandoned to mark its 20th birthday. The report claims that Internet Explorer 11 in its current state will be included with Windows 10 for backwards compatibility purposes, or perhaps for anyone uncomfortable with the big shift to Spartan.

Microsoft has a consumer-facing Windows 10 event scheduled for 21 January, so that could provide our first official glimpse at what’s ahead. However, ZDNet claims that Spartan may not be ready enough for inclusion in the next wave of Technical Preview builds, so it may be a while before we’re able to mess around with Microsoft’s next big browser.

[Source: ZDNet]

READ MORE: 6 things we love about Windows 10 – and 3 we hate